THE LONGING LOVEOUR HEART
1492 Words
The ink on the contract was still wet when Deric leaned back in his chair, watching Rainbow like a man studying a rare artifact.
“You just sold yourself to the devil,” he said casually, as if remarking on the weather.
Rainbow’s fingers tightened around the pen. “You promised. This is just business.”
“It is,” Deric agreed, his gaze unreadable. “But in my world, business isn’t safe. And neither are you.”
Before she could answer, a knock echoed against the heavy double doors. A tall man in a crisp black suit entered, eyes flicking to her for a split second before focusing on Deric.
“They’re here,” he said.
Deric stood. “Bring them in.”
Rainbow’s stomach knotted. Them?
Two more men entered, both carrying steel briefcases. They set them on the desk and opened them with synchronized clicks. Inside—neatly stacked bundles of cash, gleaming pistols, and a sealed envelope.
Deric took the envelope first, sliding a single photo across the desk toward Rainbow.
Her breath caught.
It was her—standing in the alley last night, just before she fainted.
On the back, written in elegant, looping handwriting, were the words:
"You can’t hide her forever."
Rainbow’s skin went cold. “This… this is from Eldora.”
Deric’s eyes narrowed. “No. Eldora wouldn’t dare send this directly to me.” He slid the photo away. “This is someone else.”
“Someone else?” she whispered.
“A rival,” he said, voice low. “And if they know your face already… that means last night wasn’t random. They were watching you long before you ran into me.”
A sharp knock at the door interrupted them again. This time, it wasn’t Deric’s men—it was a servant, pale-faced and trembling.
“Sir… there’s been a breach at the east gate.”
Deric was already moving, his voice clipped and deadly. “Stay here. Don’t open that door for anyone.”
Rainbow’s pulse thundered in her ears as he disappeared down the hall. She clutched the edge of the desk, the weight of the contract in her hands. In the distance, faint gunshots cracked through the night.
She realized then—the contract might save her from Eldora.
But nothing could save her from the world she’d just entered.
Chapter Three – The Aphrodite Gift
The night of the breach was only the beginning.
A week later, Deric’s mother returned from overseas—an elegant woman draped in silk and danger. She handed Deric a small black velvet box. Inside was a vial filled with a shimmering golden liquid.
“It’s called Aphrodite,” she said softly. “A rare elixir. It will keep you alive when the world tries to kill you… but it will also change you.”
Deric scoffed. “I don’t believe in fairy tales.”
But that night, an ambush in the streets forced him to drink it. Rainbow found him half-conscious, his skin burning like fire. His breathing was ragged, his voice desperate for the first time she’d heard.
“Help me… or I’m dead.”
She stayed by his side for three days, cooling his fever, cleaning the blood from his wounds, whispering to him when he tossed in delirium. When he finally woke, his eyes lingered on her longer than before. Something had shifted.
Chapter Four – A Dangerous Bond
The rain hadn’t stopped for three days.
The world outside the mansion was drowning in gray, but inside, Rainbow’s heart was restless. Deric had been gone for hours—far too long for what was supposed to be a “short meeting.”
She paced the study, unable to focus. The sound of the front door opening made her freeze. Heavy footsteps. A faint metallic scent of blood.
Deric stepped inside, soaked to the bone, his suit torn, his knuckles raw. His eyes locked on hers—dark, intense, and unreadable.
“You’re hurt,” she breathed, rushing toward him.
He caught her wrist before she could fuss over him. “Not as much as the other guy,” he said with a humorless smirk, but his voice lacked its usual steel.
“Sit down,” she ordered. She didn’t care that he was the most feared man in the city; tonight, he was just the man who came home bleeding.
She cleaned the cut across his temple in silence. When she reached for his hand, he didn’t let go. Instead, his fingers tightened around hers, holding her there.
“Why?” His voice was low. “Why do you care so much?”
She looked at him, startled. “Because you’re my husband. Even if it’s just… paper.”
His lips curved faintly, but there was a shadow in his eyes. “You think I’m not afraid of anything. But I am.”
Her brow furrowed. “Of what?”
“You,” he said simply. “You’ve become my weakness.”
Before she could answer, the lights flickered. The faint hum of the mansion’s security system stuttered. Somewhere in the distance, a sharp sound—like glass breaking—cut through the rain.
Deric’s entire body tensed. He stood, pulling her behind him. “Stay close.”
But she refused to hide. “If someone’s here for you, they’ll come for me too.”
His eyes burned into hers for a long moment, then—against all reason—he kissed her. Not a gentle kiss, but fierce, desperate, as though he knew the moment might be their last.
When he pulled away, his voice was rough. “I’m not losing you. Not tonight. Not ever.”
The sound of footsteps echoed closer. The suspense pressed against them like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Deric slipped a g*n from his holster and handed it to her.
“Looks like this marriage is about to get real.”
The rain lashed harder against the windows, a constant hiss against the silence inside the study.
Deric’s hand stayed warm around hers, but the sudden kiss lingered like a spark that refused to die. Rainbow’s heart was still pounding—not just from the unexpected closeness, but from the sharp tension that had settled in the air.
The flickering lights steadied, but the security alarm stayed silent.
That… was wrong.
Deric’s voice was low and dangerous. “They’ve cut the power to the sensors.”
“They?” she echoed.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached for the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling out a second firearm and tucking it into the waistband at his back. Then he grabbed her by the waist, guiding her toward the hidden panel in the wall.
“I need you in the safe room,” he said.
“I’m not hiding,” she whispered back.
His jaw tightened. “Rainbow—”
“I already told you—if they’re after you, they’re after me. You said I was your weakness? Then let me be your weapon, too.”
For a moment, the mafia king looked almost… undone. Then, without warning, he leaned in, his forehead pressing against hers. His voice was a quiet growl.
“You’re going to get me killed, Red.”
Before she could respond, the crash came—a door somewhere downstairs shattering off its hinges. The sound of boots pounded against marble floors. Muffled voices barked in a language she didn’t recognize.
Deric’s grip on her waist shifted, guiding her toward the shadows beside the bookcase. “Stay behind me. No matter what.”
The intruders were fast. Within seconds, the first one stepped into the hall outside the study, a tall figure in tactical gear with a silencer already raised.
Deric didn’t hesitate—he moved like a predator, one clean shot dropping the man before he could fire. But the sound was enough to set off chaos—more footsteps, more shouts, more shadows moving in.
Rainbow’s breath caught as she saw a red laser sight crawl across Deric’s chest from the doorway.
“Deric!” she cried, lunging forward.
The shot rang out.
It wasn’t Deric who fell.
She looked down to see her own trembling hands wrapped around the smoking g*n he had given her, the intruder’s body crumpling at her feet.
Deric turned to her, eyes wide—not in anger, but something else. Pride.
“Looks like you’re already a better shot than half my men,” he murmured, pulling her close. “But this isn’t over. Whoever sent them… they wanted to see if you could bleed.”
His gaze shifted toward the doorway, his expression darkening. “And I think I know exactly who it was.”
Before she could ask, the power finally cut completely, plunging them into darkness. Only the sound of the rain—and the faint click of another g*n being c****d—remained.
- Writer
